The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch A-5 Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Redistricting underway, council districts complicated By Andy Heuring Pike County will have new county commissioner and county council districts next year when they elect four county council district seats and one of the three county commissioner districts. The districts that have been in place since at least the early 1980s have become unbalanced in population with Commissioner District 1, now held by Jeff Nelson, having 59 percent of the population. District 2, held by Brian Davis, has just 18.8 percent of the population and District 3, held by Ryan Coleman, has just 22.1 percent. County council districts are less out-of-balance with the smallest being District 4, held by Randy Harris, having just 18 percent of the population. The largest is District 4, held by Myreon Krohn which has 29 percent. District 2, held by Greg Mangin, has 27 percent, and District 3, held by Max Elliott, has 26 percent. The commissioners denied a Freedom of Information request by The PressDispatch to see possible scenarios developed by Commissioner Assistant Melissa Bryant. County Attorney Val Fleig stated in a letter: "Your request for the various scenarios prepared by Melissa Bryant for possible redistricting is being denied. These records constitute intra agency advisory or deliberative material that are expressions of opinion or are of speculative nature and that are communicated for the purpose of decision making. This exemption falls under IC5-14-3-4 (b) (6). Morton files lawsuit against man who hit him with at truck By Andy Heuring A former Pike County Highway Superintendent has filed a lawsuit against a rural Petersburg man, who he claims hit him with a truck, and against the company where the man works. Bobby Joe Morton filed suit in Pike Circuit Court on December 3 claiming on May 23 Ronnie McCrary drove into him with a McCrary Drilling and Service Inc. truck. According to Morton's complaint, he was working with the county highway department on CR 350 N. (Cart Road). It claims the road crew had closed 350 N. while paving it and McCrary drove past the road closed signs in the McCrary Drilling truck "and proceeded east to the point of the road closure where Morton stood in the roadway waving his arms in an effort to stop McCrary's vehicle" and McCrary "negligently drove the Mack truck into Morton," injuring him. Hazardous roads cause three crashes in county last week By Andy Heuring Three crashes are blamed on slick roads during and following the winter storm. On Friday afternoon during heavy snow, an Evansville woman ran off of I-69 and rolled over. Pike County Deputy Sheriff Brad Jenkins said Megan T. Smith, 21, of Evansville, was driving north in an O'Reilly Auto Parts truck when she ran off the road near the 41.5 mile marker and her vehicle rolled over onto its side. She was uninjured, but the vehicle was estimated to have more than $10,000 damage. Saturday at 9 p.m., an Illinois teen crashed her 2003 Cadillac into a pole while driving north on I-69. Pike County Deputy Buck Seger stated Alexa Adams, 18, of Evanston, Ill., was driving north just south of I-69. Deputy Seger said Adams told him the snow covering the road made it hard to see to road. She said she thought it turned, but instead it went straight and she left the road, lost control and slid into a pole. Sunday night at about 9 p.m., Dustin E. Matteson, 26, of 2115 E. CR 650 N., Petersburg, slid off the road into a ditch. Pike County Deputy Jeff Boger said Matteson was driving his 2006 Chevrolet Malibu east on Highway 56 near CR 500 E., when he hit a slick spot causing him to slide sideways off the road and into a ditch. He was uninjured. Press-Dispatch recieves four awards in state news contest The Press-Dispatch received four awards at the annual Hoosier State Press Association Foundations' 2013 Better Newspaper Contest. The 115-year-old newspaper placed second in four categories of the Non-dailies more than 3,000 circulation division. Alden Heuring placed second in the Best Profile Feature category for his story entitled: "GED first step to a better future," which was about Apryl McDowell, a young mother who went back to school to get her GED. Andy Heuring placed second in both the Best Short Feature Story and Best Spot New Photo. His feature story was about Steve Huffman retiring after 40-years as a barber in Winslow. The second place photo was for a picture at the scene when Mike Woodland was shot by Petersburg Police Officer Chad Tharp. The Press-Dispatch staff was honored with a second place for Best Special Sec- Puzzled about what to read....? Burger Basket $5.99 includes dressed burger and fries A snow-covered landscape can be a picturesque sight. However, a roof covered in snow is something no homeowner can afford to marvel at. That's because accumulating snow and ice very well could push a roof to its breaking point, even if the roof was sound before the winter arrived. According to The University of Arkansas division of Agricultural Cooperative Extension Service, the water content of snow can range from 3 percent for very dry snow to 33 percent for wet, heavy snow. A roof may only be able to support 12 inches of wet, heavy snow before it is pushed to its breaking point. Snow can be quite heavy, weighing around 60 pounds per cubic foot. When heavy snow arrives, homeowners should do their best to safely clear their roofs of snow. The threat of snow causing a roof to collapse has many homeowners floundering. While having snow build up on the top of a house is dangerous, so, too is climbing up on a slippery roof to push off the snow. As winter approaches, many emergency officials urge people to clear their roofs and decks to minimize structural collapse. But how does one do it safely? Steep-pitched roofs tend to be the easiest to deal with snow and ice problems because a snow rake is usually effective. A snow rake is just what it sounds like. It is a metal device on a telescoping pole that can be extended to drag the snow off of the roof. Homeowners may need to use extension ladders to reach taller parts of the roof. A second person can remain below to steady the ladder and ensure it doesn't tip over on a slick surface. It is not adviseable to climb up on the roof directly and shovel the snow off. The added weight of a person may be all that's needed to cause a roof to collapse, potentially resulting in grave injury and considerable roof damage. A snow-covered roof also can be slippery, which could result in a person falling off the roof. Anyone who does not feel secure removing snow from the roof can hire a professional service to do so. Just be sure the service is properly licensed and insured. In addition to removing the snow from the roof, here are some winter weather home care tips. • Clean the gutters to remove any debris so that gutters will not become blocked and form ice dams on the roof. In addition, keep gutters and drains free of ice and snow. • Add insulation to attic floors to prevent heat from the home escaping to the roof and causing ice dams that freeze when snow melts. In addition, make sure the attic is well ventilated so that the temperature inside will remain consistent with outdoors, further preventing snow melt. • Melted roof snow can leak into homes or pool around foundations, caus- Subscribe Today! Cal l ! ce 354-8500 E-mail: news@pressdispatch.net in balance periodically. However, last year the state law changed and now it requires even if the county doesn't make changes to the districts, each county has to file an update report on the districts. This had to be done by December 31, 2013 for the county districts. Next year the Winslow, Spurgeon and Petersburg districts will have to be reviewed and balanced. It is critical these be completed soon because filing for the district council races begins on January 8. 2014. Commissioner Nelson said he expected the commissioners to have a special meeting to work out the districts before the end of the year. Their last regularly scheduled meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, December 16. Now and for Generations ing rot and other problems. Keep an eye open for any leaks. • If you live in an area prone to heavy snowfall, a metal roof may be a good investment. The slippery roof causes snow and ice to slide off. Special features at the end of a metal roof break up the snow before it reaches the ground, preventing large, heavy piles of snow from causing injury when falling to the ground. ������������������������������������� From the building materials to the construction crews, quality is evident throughout every stop of the process at Morton Buildings. Our components and building methods have been designed and tested to provide the best to you. With a wide range of building styles, sizes and pricing available, you choose exactly what you want and need in a building - all while knowing that you are getting a highquality structure that you can be proud to own. We're not afraid to shed some light on the truth. For more information 812-482-3723 Jasper IN ©2013 Morton Buildings, Inc. All rights reserved. A listing of GC licenses available at mortonbuildings.com/licenses.aspx. 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The council districts are more critical than the commissioners' districts, because only the people who live in the council districts vote in that district's race. In the county commissioner races, the whole county votes for all of the commissioners. Indiana requires the districts be updated and kept Snow on the roof can be troublesome CLoseD FriDay eVening DeC. 13 For CHristMas Party for faster se rv ead i ah ....and you will have your solution. Washington 2 and 3, all four Petersburg and Clay for a population of 4,247. District 3 would be Monroe, Patoka 1 and 2, Winslow and Logan which would have a population of 4,209. "The commissioner districts are easy," said Davis. Ryan Coleman said he had not seen any of the scenarios on paper yet. "I have just kind of been going over it in my head and I would expect to my district line to move north and pick up Winslow and some of Patoka Township," said Coleman. Davis said he has seen all of the scenarios. "Some of them are so 'out there' that they aren't even logical to consider," said Davis. When asked if two current county councilmen could end up in the same district he said, "I'm gong to try tion category with their entry of the Backyard Adventures 2013. Judge's comments on the Backyard Adventures section were: "We are ready to head to Pike and surrounding counties to visit a plethora of festivals and other fun-filled activities and adventures highlighted in this publication, especially the Zoar Mosquito Festival. Nice feature stories compliment the calendar listings." Dine-in or Carry-out Subscribe to However, Hoosier State Press Association attorney Steve Key disagreed with Fleig' assessment. He said there is a distinction between factual data and opinion, and the possible scenarios are factual data, not opinion, and therefore do not fall under the stated exemption. The county commissioners agreed to talk about the various districts. Commissioner Jeff Nelson said he looked at the county commissioner scenarios, but had not seen the county council district scenarios. Nelson said the commissioner district scenario he had seen worked out well. It would make District 1 consist of the precincts of Jefferson 1 and 2, Washington 1, Marion and Lockhart for a population of 4,389, District 2 would consist of Madison, OPEN: Mon-Thurs. 9-5:30; Fri. 9-7; Sat 9-3 812-482-2246 812-295-5444 www.englertshomecomfortcenter.com